RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

A. Performance Evaluation of the Machine Results

The result of the performance of evaluation test of coffee pulper and huller machine is
shown in Table 4.1 and Table 4.2. The pictures of the fresh red coffee cherries before and
after the pulping process and as well as the dry coffee beans before and after the hulling
process are shown in Fig. A, Fig. B, Fig. C and Fig. D.

Fig. A (Before the pulping process) Fig. B (After the pulping process)

Fig. D (After the hulling process)

Table 4.1: Results of Performance Evaluation Tests of the Coffee Pulper
Soaking
Time MbP TmO DPm UPm Pm Dt Pe Re UL Pc
Trials (min) (kg) (kg) (kg) (kg) (kg) (s) (%) (%) (%) (kg/hr)

1* 5 0.75 0.7 0.4 0.02 0.28 2.74 95 53.33 2.67 525.55

2* 5 0.75 0.685 0.382 0.025 0.278 2.8 93.46 50.93 3.33 491.14
3 5 0.75 0.652 0.3408 0.0362 0.275 3.4 89.38 45.44 4.83 360.85
4 5 0.75 0.711 0.405 0.023 0.283 3.28 94.32 54.00 3.07 444.51
Average 5 0.75 0.687 0.38195 0.0261 0.279 3.055 93.18 50.93 3.47 450.09

MbP is the Mass before pulping, TmO is the total mass output, DPm is mass of the
depulped coffee cherries, UPm is the mass of the unpulped coffee cherries, Pm is the
mass of the pulp, Dt is the depulping time, Pe is the Pulping efficiency, Re is the
recovery effieciency, UL is the Unpulped loss and Pc is the Pulping capacity. *fully
opened

Table 4.2: Results of Performance Evaluation Tests of the Coffee Huller

Input Output Losses Unthreshed Ht Rm He Hc
(kg) (kg) (kg) (min) (kg) (%) (kg/hr)
5 1.6 0.2 3.1 3.2 93.75 61.94

Ht is the Hulling time, Rm is the Recovery mass, He is the Hulling efficiency and Hc is
the Hulling capacity.

In hulling stage, we utilize the dry processed coffee beans (shown in Fig. E) since the
parchment coffee (shown in Fig F) from the pulping stage has not been dried to the
desired moisture content of 11-12%. The researchers tried to hull the parchment coffee
and it resulted to a high percentage of breakage and unthreshed coffee beans which is
unacceptable to be disposed to the traders.

Fig. F (Parchment coffee from the pulping stage)

B. Pulping and Hulling Capacity of the Machine
The pulping capacity of the machine is of higher value when the outlet of the hopper is
fully opened and decreases its value when the outlet is half opened. It has a mean value of
450.09 kg/hr (Table 4.1). It is also observed that the pulping capacity and pulping time
are inversely proportional.
The hulling capacity of the machine is 61.94 kg/hr for the total hulling time of 3.1
minutes (Table 4.2).

C. Pulping and Hulling Efficiency

At the mean unpulped mass of 0.0261 kg and mean depulped mass of 0.38195 kg, the
fresh coffee cherries were perfectly pulped at an efficiency of 93.18% (Table 4.1). The
pulping efficiency depends mainly on the uniformity of sizes and the condition of the
fresh coffee cherries that are being feed to the hopper and secondarily on the adjustment
of the distance between the disk. Based on the results acquired from the testing, it can be
deduced that the pulping time has a negligible effect on the pulping efficiency of the
machine.
On the hulling process, the machine obtained an efficiency of 93.75% for a recovery
mass of 3.2 kg and an unthreshed mass of 0.2 kg (Table 4.2). The hulling time has also a
negligible effect on the hulling efficiency of the huller.

D. Results of the Preliminary Tests

The comprehensive result of the moisture content of the green coffee beans that have
undergone the depulped natural process showed the highest moisture content as 12.4%
while the lowest moisture content is 12% (as shown in Fig. G and Fig. H).

Fig. G (Moisture content of 12.4%) Fig. H (Moisture content of 12%)

The green coffee beans that undergone the dry or natural process resulted to a moisture
content of 11.6% in all three trials of moisture content testing (as shown in Fig. I).

(Trial 1) (Trial 2)

(Trial 3)
Fig. I

*The moisture content tester that was used in the testing has a tolerance of -1.4.